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Audible Editor Reviews

Child 44 is an enthralling historical crime thriller audiobook written by debut novelist Tom Rob Smith and narrated by British Actor Steven Pacey. Deep in communist Russia the hardships of its people are unfathomable, suffering terribly as a result of the harsh regime. Told through the eyes of naïvely loyal MGB Officer Leo. His obedience to his superiors is tested beyond measure as he sees atrocious crimes committed as a result of his allegiance. No one can be trusted, anyone could be a spy. Can Leo obey the most unimaginable of orders? Available now from Audible.

Publisher's Summary

Winner of the British Book Awards, New Writer of the Year, 2009.Shortlisted for the British Book Awards, Crime Thriller of the Year, 2009.

MGB officer Leo is a man who never questions the Party Line. He arrests whomever he is told to arrest. He dismisses the horrific death of a young boy because he is told to, because he believes the Party stance that there can be no murder in Communist Russia.

Leo is the perfect soldier of the regime. But suddenly his confidence that everything he does serves a great good is shaken. He is forced to watch a man he knows to be innocent be brutally tortured. And then he is told to arrest his own wife.

Leo understands how the State works: Trust and check, but check particularly on those we trust. He faces a stark choice: his wife or his life. And still the killings of children continue.

The book is one of the best I have purchased from audible.It portrays the life in Russia under Stalin and the fear of reprisals.
Leo's world is turned upside down from being an avid supporter of the state system he then experience's the Horrors of being an enemy of the state.
Does one have sympathy for Leo's fate or do you try to think you are suffering the same fate of many other People he has sent of to the Gulags.
The brutality and fear portrayed in the book are tools of the state to ensure obedience.
20 million people entered the gulag system under Stalin.
Man is wolf to man

I found this book tough at the start to get into. Some of the content is not easy to listen to - pretty brutal conditions in Stalinist Russia. However, it became absorbing after the first hour and ultimately unputdownable. An excellent story.

One of the best books I have come across in a while. A brilliant mix of history and fiction. It start with a bleak and disturbing view of Stalin’s Russia and some of the vile means they controlled the people. Then as the book moves on you find yourself drawn in to a very powerful crime drama with huge characters and brilliant plot. Without wanting to reveal anything about the story the way the narrative keeps reverting back to previous sections is totally enthralling. As other people have mentioned some of the story line is hard to hear and it made me angry that people can be so cruel and callous to others but it is presented in a historic rather than sensational way. If I had a criticism it would be that the end fails to live up to the rest of the book but in fairness this is partly because I did not want there to be an end and I wanted to stay in the narrative.Excellent book wonderfully read. Thank you.

Investigating the truth while living a lie, a lie so terrible so pernicious everyone feared the truth, especially when it spoke of a problem a blemish in a communist utopia where millions died for lesser crimes or no crimes at all just the suspicion, the probability of a thought crime, the crime of association.

This is a world where a totalitarian despot controls people's thoughts the very reality they inhabit, the plot develops in the very real terror state created by Stalin and the communist party, where millions were incarcerated and put to death. Not light reading or easy for the squeamish to stomach, but an excellent exposition of a man trying to be more than a servant of the state, a man trying to hold onto his humanity and modicum of decency.

“There's nothing more stubborn than a fact. That is why you hate them so much. They offend you.” ― Tom Rob Smith, Child 44

There is a lot of implied violence and torture in this book which is nevertheless, quite exciting. It is also pretty relentlessly bleak. Nevertheless, by the end I decided I wanted to listen to the next book so it can?t have been all that bleak! The reading is first rate which really enhances the experience ? and once I got into the story I managed to rise above the gloom and I quite quickly wanted to find out what happened. If you enjoy drama and don?t mind the violent bits it?s a very good listen.

Along with the wonderful narration of Steven pacey I thought The author accomplished with great success the hard shipAnd terror of living in Stalins Russia . Living in a world When the state is everything And nobody can be trusted.A very unusual mystery come love story takes place. I listenedTo the book in 2 goes very unusual for meI would love to see more books like this from the author Human survival and love against all the odds...

Where does Child 44 rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Right near the top. Dark times in Orwellian Russia that delivered desperate situations by the bucket load that tested your nerves as the characters used every conceivable act to survive. Fabulous

What other book might you compare Child 44 to, and why?

1984

Which scene did you most enjoy?

The scene on the prisoner train and the conclusion....

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No. I never do. A break in proceedings adds to the tension and enjoyment.

Any additional comments?

If the film is half as good as the audio book, you won't be disappointed. Also, the Narrator was superb. His vocalisation of the Russian accent brought the characters - of all ages and gender - even more to life.

The opening scene is a shocker that brings home some of the hardest times endured by human kind. Don't worry we move on to more tolerable times though it never gets as far as an easy life for our hero.

Strong plot and great sense of place and time very satisfyingly all brought together.

it is essentially a defective story set in the soviet era I think I will need to read something a bit lighter to follow but I am very glad I read it.

If you only read one crime book this year, make it this one. Compelling, fascinating, thrilling, this is a terrifying insight into life in Communist Russia. Credible characters and a believable story make this unputdownable. I can't wait for the sequel - hurry up Tom!

In his debut novel Smith has painted a bleak picture of Stalin's Russia where blind faith in the State, or pretence of it, is the norm. Across the disparate parts of this story people's actions and decisions are fuelled by paranoia, desperation and vengeance. Many people abuse whatever power they have and many others live in constant fear of that abuse. The few acts motivated by love, friendship or hope are memorable for their rarity. In some ways this is a familiar picture of Russia during this era but I thought Smith did a better job than many writers in demonstrating the subtle differences in people's behaviour and exploring the reasons behind that behaviour rather than portraying everyone in as stereotypical good and evil as is often the case.

Few of the characters are likable however understandable their actions may be. But they're very credible in the context of the world Smith has depicted. The writing is breathtaking in the way it depicts scenes so vividly that you're transported to the places where action takes place and can feel the emotions of those involved. My main criticism of an otherwise terrific book is that in the last third the plot moved from credible to 'Hollywood' with the number of in-the-nick-of-time escapes and coincidences used to get to the ending.

It's an evocative portrayal of a time and place that's been demonised many times in literature and movies but rarely explored in such a thoughtful and thought-provoking way.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Don

Curtin, Australia

28/03/14

Overall

Performance

Story

"It just didn't engage me"

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

The story felt like it relied on a lot of old soviet cliches, the crime story took 7 hours to get going and was a bit fanciful.

Would you ever listen to anything by Tom Rob Smith again?

I doubt it.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Steven Pacey?

He didn't add or subtract from the story.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Child 44?

it was very long for a thin story line. A few decent twists but nothing particularly interesting or not telegraphed.

Any additional comments?

I finished the book but only pushed on to finish it so I could get back to the Harry Bosch series

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

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